World Bank provides $20m grant to Haiti to rebuild roads and bridges

The World Bank has approved $20m grant for the rehabilitation of roads and bridges in southern Haiti.

This is the first grant of $100m support package mobilised by the International Development Association's (IDA) Crisis Response Window for reconstruction after the devastating Hurricane Matthew.

The grant is expected to help the country respond better to disasters.

This grant complements the $49.5m mobilised for emergency use from Haiti's existing IDA resources last October.

Haiti Minister of Economics and Finances Jude Alix Patrick Salomon said: "This financing from the World Bank comes at an important moment when the people of Haiti are slowly recovering from Hurricane Matthew. This will help strengthen the impact of national measures undertaken to mitigate hurricane impacts in the current context of limited domestic resources."

"This will help strengthen the impact of national measures undertaken to mitigate hurricane impacts in the current context of limited domestic resources."

The hurricane is estimated to have affected nearly two million Haitians. Hurricane Matthew struck the island country last October. It is estimated that nearly $2.2bn or 25% of GDP will be required for carrying out reconstruction works.

Since 1971, disasters have been affecting Haiti’s economy, and the region has been losing on average 2% of GDP every year due to these disasters.

World Bank Haiti special envoy Mary Barton Dock said: "Seven months after the storm, there are signs of progress, but this is just the beginning of a long journey to recovery.

"This funding from IDA's crisis response window will not only help rebuild critical infrastructure and boost the economy, it will also help support Haiti's long-term climate resilience."

The World Bank is expected to release the remaining grant of $80m in the coming weeks.